About this webinar:

Orange shirt day was chosen to be on September 30^th to commemorate the time of year when the trucks and buses drove into communities and our Indigenous children were physically removed from their family, homes and communities and placed into confinement institutions, referred to as “Indian Residential Schools” (IRS).  It’s a day also known as the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.  The federal government announced the creation of this new statutory holiday on September 30th to fulfill the TRC Call-to-Action #80 and serves as a day of remembrance, reflection, action and learning.

In this session, participants will be provided with information to understand the history and intent of the Orange Shirt Day movement, Phyllis Webstad’s story, “Every Child Matters” shirts, community events and acts of reconciliation everyone can do to support this day of remembrance.

Please see below for required reading/watching list.

Speaker Bio:

Brenda St. Germain holds a Master of Social Work, with Indigenous Specialization. She has focused her academics and career into Indigenous initiatives or projects addressing community development, research, informed trauma, addictions and social policies.  Brenda is passionate about changing the narrative from colonial versions of “Aboriginal or Cultural Awareness” into dialogues and education of Indigenous history in Canada that shifts individuals toward transformative changes into the true intent of Truth and Reconciliation Calls-to-Action.

 A few highlights of Brenda’s career include advocating, creating and implementing the initial Aboriginal Social Work Committee as the founding chairperson into the organizational structure of ACSW under the HPA in 2003. She was the Indigenous Co-chair of Edmonton’s EndPoverty Initiative, Indigenous advisor to several organizations, instructor in various colleges on subjects ranging from social work, trauma to addictions and homelessness and voluntary roles in non-profit agencies working with women, and marginalized groups.  She has received her Train-the-Trainer certification in Anti-Racism Response Training and facilitates workshops on diversity and racism.

Recommended Reading/Watching List

CONTENT WARNING ON READING/ WATCHING LIST contains graphic content, strong language and graphic images that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, suicide, sexual abuse, rape, molestation, murder, violence, racism, substance abuse, childhood trauma and PTSD.  Content can take the form of an image, video clip, audio clip, or passage of text.  Readers and/or participants who may be sensitive to these topics / subjects please take note and be mindful of these and other possible triggers.  Please seek assistance if needed.  

Alberta Mental Health Helpline:  1-877-303-2642

CMHA Distress Line:  1-800-232-7288

Calgary Distress Centre:  403-266-4357

CMHA Distress Line (Edmonton): 1-780-482-4357

South CMHA Distress Line (Lethbridge):  1-888-787-2880

NOTE:   SOME OF THESE SCENES AND CONTENT MAY BE UPSETTING OR TRIGGERING, PARTICULARLY FOR DIRECT OR INTERGENERATIONAL SURVIVORS OF RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS IN THIS WEBINAR. 

• The National Residential School Crisis Line is:  1-866-925-4419 and is available 24 hours a day.
• Government of Canada: Mental Health Support  https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

REQUIRED READING LIST:  (available and accessible on public websites)

• Missing Children of Indian Residential Schools. (Xue Luo, C. 2022; Academic Data Centre, Leddy Library, University of Windsor).  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cfe29bee35c54a70b9621349f19a3db2  DISCLAIMER: This site contains subect matter that some readers may find distressing.

• Reckoning at St. Anne’s [Residential School]. (APTN Investigates; 2017) 23.50 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryXTTxhAik0.  DISCLAIMER: This story contains subject matter that some readers may find distressing.

• Phyllis Webstad – On Orange Shirt Day.  (Webstad, P.  Orange Shirt Society; 2021) 7:07 minutes  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuW4WbekhxY 

SUGGESTED WATCHING LIST:  Available on Netflix, Tubi,  Prime Video, public libraries

We Were Children. (Wolochatiuk, 2012: National Film Board of Canada) Film:  83 minutes.    TRAILER: 1:39 minutes  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1934472/?ref_=tt_mv_close   DISCLAIMER: This work deals with mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised: scenes and content may be triggering to some viewers.  “For over 130 years until 1996, more than 100,000s of Canada’s Indigenous children were legally forced to attend 80 government-funded schools run by various christian faiths across Canada. The children were brutally beaten, suffered through physical hardship, sexual abuse, molestation and rape, subjected to mental degradation, verbal abuse, starvation and the complete erasure of their culture.  The children were physically removed from their homes, communities and families as a wider program of genocide through Canadian government colonial policies.  This fild is told through the voices of two such children who survived this atrocity: Glen Anaquod and Lyna Hart.”

Bones of Crows.  (Clements, M., 2022:  A Marie Clements Film/ Elevation Pictures).  Film:  129 minutes. TRAILER: 2:09 minutes  https://www.imdb.com/video/vi71681049/?ref_=tt_vi_i_1   DISCLAIMER:  This work deals with extremely sensitive subject matter, viewer discretion is strongly advised: scenes and content may be triggering to some viewers.     “Cree code talker Aline Spears survives her traumatic past in Canada’s residential school system to continue her family’s generational fight against systemic starvation, racism and sexual abuse.”

Please note registration closes one day before event start.